3 arrested in connection with Oakland girl's murder

Alaysha Carradine

October 1, 2013 8:52:13 PM PDT

by Nick Smith

OAKLAND, Calif. --

Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder of an 8-year-old Oakland girl in July. Alaysha Carradine was inside an apartment when someone fired through the open door, killing her, and injuring her friend's grandmother and two other children.

Of the three people arrested, two have been charged in Alaysha's murder. One of the men was arraigned Tuesday; he will face special circumstance enhancements, making him eligible for the death penalty.

"You went and did a murder, committed a murder, and the retaliation was the fact that I got to lose my daughter," Alaysha's mother Chiquita Carradine said.

Carradine came to court Tuesday to see the people police say are responsible for killing her daughter.

The smiling 8-year-old, nicknamed "Ladybug," was shot and killed answering the door at a friend's house while attending a sleepover. Three others were also hit, but survived their injuries. Police believe the shooter went to the house in retaliation for an earlier shooting.

"At the end of the day, we got the bad guys and that's all that matters," Carradine said. "I'm just ready to go home so I can celebrate."

Tuesday, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office announced that charges had been filed against 27-year-old Joe Carroll and 22-year-old Darnell Willams, both of Oakland. Carroll was arrested in Texas and will be extradited to California.

"We interviewed witnesses and we gathered intelligence; that's how we were able to come up with the sketch," Oakland Police Ofc. Robert Rosin said.

Williams, identified by investigators using a sketch released by Oakland police in September, is being charged with two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling. They say he is the man who pulled the trigger.

"Darnell Williams just opened fire without any consideration of who was standing at the door, what was going to happen," Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said. "It is shocking and it is upsetting that kids in Oakland are so vulnerable to the violence and disregard for life by these individuals who are involved in gang activity."

"You don't get street credit for killing a kid," Carradine said.

Alaysha would've been in the third grade this year. Her mother says she will attend every court appearance until those responsible for her daughter's murder are convicted.